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Shadow in the Dark
"Shadow In The Dark" is the sixth episode of Miami Vice's third season. The episode premiered on October 31, 1986. Summary Crockett tries to catch a bizarre cat burglar by trying to become him - a tactic that drove another cop insane. Plot A cat burglar known as "The Shadow" (Vincent Caristi), with some rather strange habits, is on the loose. He enters by no forcible means, hitting the kitchen first and eating only raw choice cuts. He also paints his face with flour. The only things stolen seem to be pants - no cash, no jewlery, nothing of value - and despite all his activity he never wakes anyone up. Castillo assigns Crockett and Tubbs to Lt. Ray Gilmore (Jack Thibeau) of Robbery due to public attention to the case. At the latest hit they find a strange, sinister-looking drawing on the bedroom wall done in lipstick. Gilmore wants Crockett and Tubbs to review all burglary files for the past few years in hopes of finding similar hits. While leaving the scene a loud and pushy citizen calls out Gilmore for his lack of progress. Gilmore, infuriated, throws himself at the citizen before Crockett and Tubbs pull him away, and it becomes clear that Gilmore is on the edge mentally. At Metro, Capt. Cahill (Ed Lauter) checks on Crockett and Tubbs - who have gone over 600 burglary cases with nothing to show for it. They get ready to wrap up when Gilmore pops out of his office to give them more case files to review. When Crockett tells him the Records room has closed for the evening and Tubbs politely mentions they work at their own pace, Gilmore angrily tells them to step up their game. Castillo pulls up just as Crockett and Tubbs are leaving with their files - Gilmore wants them off the case (he never wanted them on in the first place), but has been overruled by the Department, and Castillo tells them to let him know if Gilmore makes any more trouble. Crockett looks up an old burglar named George Wyatt (Timothy Carhart) who had weird idiosyncrasies like their current cat burglar, and decides to check him out. At a coffee shop, Gilmore stops in and wants to tag along, although he makes clear his resentment at their involvement in the case. Wyatt (who's in a wheelchair because he broke his back after his final bust) doesn't have any info to offer because his MO differs from that of the suspect. Gilmore flies into a rage and throws Wyatt out of his wheelchair, and Crockett has to stop himself from punching a superior officer, even as Gilmore eggs him on. This is the last strike for Gilmore, who is taken into custody. Castillo returns Crockett and Tubbs to Vice, which is now taking over the case. They get a call for a prowler at a house within the burglar's zone of operation. Just as they pull up gunshots are heard, and they move in to find Gilmore firing into an icebox, clearly demented. As he's led away to psych lockup the Shadow is seen observing with some amusement. At OCB, Crockett, Castillo and Tubbs review what little information they have on the Shadow. Crockett sees something in the drawings and wants to return to the crime scenes; Castillo says it can wait until morning. Crockett takes the drawings to his boat to study them, which takes up his entire night. Castillo finds him in a coffee shop the next morning, and Crockett expresses the belief that to catch this burglar they need to think like him. Castillo urges him to not lose focus or his grip on reality, but Crockett has clearly succumbed to both, to the point that Castillo leaves rather than staying for coffee. Crockett goes back to one of the crime scenes to look at the drawings; although this turns out to be a nightmare, it inspires him to compare the drawings to the map of burgled houses at OCB. He calls the rest of the Vice squad to a glass house he believes the burglar will hit next, but nothing happens and they eventually leave. As it turns out, Crockett was partially right - the house next door is hit, and this time the Shadow enters the bedroom, awakening the woman who lives there. The woman is taken to the hospital, badly shaken but not assaulted (because the Shadow could not do so). Due to her trauma, she is unable to answer many of Crockett and Tubbs's questions or give details of the burglar. Crockett, in desperation, pushes her until she breaks down and Tubbs is forced to pull him from the room. Castillo wants to hand the case back to Burglary if nothing breaks soon, but Crockett demands to stay on because he "knows" the perp. Castillo reminds him that Gilmore "knew" him too, and it cost him his sanity. Crockett continues to act erratically, putting flour on his face on his boat and staring at houses. He feels that a certain area is going to get hit, and he asks for extra people to stake-out multiple houses. Crockett gets a call that Metro has arrested the burglar/prowler, and they go check it out. Cahill has the prowler - Lido Starr - in custody. But Crockett feels that isn't the right suspect, that Starr is a copy-cat. However, Castillo is satisfied they have their man, and downtown closes the case. Castillo gets a call from County Psych Ward that Gilmore wants to see Crockett about a letter he got in the mail. He received a copy of the newspaper published after Starr was booked, with a lipstick drawing like the others, proving the real prowler is still at large. Cahill refuses to re-open the case despite the drawing, which sends Crockett into a rage and Castillo - after Cahill threatens to suspend Crockett - orders him off-duty and off the streets. Tubbs attempts to reason with Crockett, who picks out a picture of a house he feels the prowler will hit, and pleads to take the picture to Gilmore. Tubbs feels Crockett is unstable, but agrees to see Gilmore, who picks the same house, so Castillo orders them to check it out. The Shadow is there, and is about to attack the woman living there with a knife before Crockett tackles and beats him down. As he is led away the Shadow taunts Crockett, saying that he "lives with me." Castillo assigns Crockett to desk duty for a couple of days to wind down. The Shadow, while being interrogated, smashes through the two-way mirror to attack Crockett; it turns out to be another nightmare, but for one moment the Shadow's face and the reflection of Crockett's face are overlaid. Cast *Don Johnson as Metro-Dade Detective James "Sonny" Crockett *Philip Michael Thomas as Metro-Dade Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs *Saundra Santiago as Metro-Dade Detective Gina Calabrese *Michael Talbott as Metro-Dade Detective Stan Switek *John Diehl as Metro-Dade Detective Larry Zito *Olivia Brown as Metro-Dade Detective Trudy Joplin *Edward James Olmos as Metro-Dade Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo Guest Stars *Ed Lauter as Metro-Dade Captain Cahill *Jack Thibeau as Metro-Dade Burglary Lieutenant Ray Gilmore *Timothy Carhart as George Wyatt *Vincent Caristi as The Shadow Co-Starring *Diana James as Young Woman Notes * This episode shares many similarities with Michael Mann's 1986 movie Manhunter, the first Hannibal Lecter movie, which has an almost identical plotline, dealing with the main character struggling to retain his own sanity whilst delving into the mind of a disturbed serial killer in order to catch him. Manhunter also featured Miami Vice guest stars Dennis Farina (from "One Eyed Jack", "Lombard" and "World Of Trouble"), Kim Griest (from "Nobody Lives Forever"), Michele Shay (from "Theresa"), Bill Smitrovich (from "Brother's Keeper" and "The Prodigal Son") and Jim Zubiena (from "Golden Triangle (Part I)"), as well as Miami Vice regular Michael Talbott. * The house the cat burglar enters in the opening sequence appears to be the same one where Crockett and Castillo finish off the Home Invader case, and the one he is caught in is the same (though lit differently) as Brenda's house in "Nobody Lives Forever". * The burglar's bizarre behavior seems to be a greatly toned-down reference to real-life serial killer Richard Trenton Chase, the "Vampire of Sacramento", who among other things, would frequently eat raw meat, and went to strange lengths to stop his heart from turning to stone (one of the burglar's last lines is to ask for tinfoil to protect his heart). *Crockett receives the "Castillo Staredown" several times this episode as a result of his increasingly erratic behaviour. Production Notes * Working title: "Spencer" * Filmed: July 11, 1986 - July 22, 1986 * Production Code: 62003 * Production Order: 47 Filming Locations *3834 Utopia Court, Miami (First house Shadow hits) *Puerto Antonio, 1649 Washington Ave (Gilmore sits by door while Crockett/Tubbs sit at counter) *The Standard 40 Island Ave, Belle Island, Venetian Causeway (Wyatt's apartment) *Lincoln Avenue / Jefferson Street, Coconut Grove (Crockett looking for Shadow) *3067 Jefferson Street, Coconut Grove (Home where Crockett gets Shadow) Music * "Inland Sea" by Brian Eno (opening following burglar from drawbridge into house) * "Tierra Dura" by Ruben Blades (Crockett and Tubbs having breakfast when Gilmore walks in) Jan Hammer Music *"Shadow In The Dark" (throughout episode) Quotes *"In the immortal words of Lt. Castillo: "That's not our decision"" -- Crockett to Tubbs after Tubbs tells Castillo Lt. Gilmore is strung out *"The answer is not in the book, it's in his head!" -- Crockett to Castillo at coffee shop Category:Miami Vice Season 3 Episodes